I
was born in the Australian outback but grew up in Melbourne. The daughter
of a nurse and an army officer, my earliest ambitions were to be a writer
or actress. My exclusive education at St Michaels Grammar School was
wasted because I spent my days dreaming. Most of the final year at school
was spent furtively writing a novel in the back of the classroom. Set
on the German occupied Island of Jersey during World War II it was the
first attempt at writing fiction.

When
I was seventeen I began having singing lessons from Gertrude Johnson,
the charismatic founder of the National Theatre. After three years at
The National Theatre Opera School, I knew my voice was not good enough
to become a professional opera singer. Nevertheless Gertrude Johnson
had left a profound impression on me. The seeds of my first novel Vissi
d’arte took root.

Disappointed
about not being able to follow a singing career, I went to Europe and
spent a year travelling. Five years later I returned to Australia, but
was unable to settle. Feeling my destiny lay in England, I returned
in 1983. I began working for The National Health Service, while attending
part time drama school at Questors Theatre in Ealing.

In
1985 I married, Peter, an architect, in the ancient church of St Peter’s
in Petersham. We joined the Richmond Writers’ Circle
in 1997 and I became the chairman eighteen months later. Along with
four others in the circle I founded The Writers’ Room, a performance
group, which gives poets, writers and singers an opportunity to showcase
their work.

I
have since writen five more novels all self published. One of which has
now been accepted by a publisher to be professionally published in November
2018. We moved from Richmond to Liskeard in east Cornwall in 2009 from
where I now write full time and volunteer for The National Trust at the
beautiful Lanhydrock House and gardens near Bodmin Cornwall.

I
always knew I was
adopted and that my adopted mother was really my aunt, and that my biological
father was her brother. I didn’t know who my biological mother
was. Having been brought up as a lonely only child it came as a shock
to discover in 2010 that I was one of eight children. My sister found
me on Face Book and we were reunited two years later when she and her
husband visited England. We are writing a book about our lives and the
amazing discovery of a new family.